Tonkin faces primary challenge

By Nathan Mayberg
MILFORD — Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin already has the biggest case of his life, prosecuting the man he accuses of killing one state trooper and critically wounding another.

Now he is faced with another challenge — from his own political party. He will be challenged in the Republican primary by an attorney backed by an organization of state troopers.

Milford attorney Kelly Gaughan said she will run against Tonkin in the primary, scheduled for May 19.

The John Hancock Memorial Lodge 46 of the Fraternal Order of Police, an arm of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, has announced its support for Gaughan.

"I anticipate being a very busy person over the next several months," Tonkin said by phone on Monday.

Tonkin is in the midst of preparing for the trial of Eric Frein, who is accused of ambushing state troopers outside the Blooming Grove barracks on Sept. 12. Frein pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday.

Gaughan, 41, said she decided to run for the office before the shootings occurred.

An attorney and vice-president with the law firm of Levy, Stieh and Gaughan since 1999, Gaughan's practice includes family law and criminal defense work.

She previously was an intern at the Lackawaxen County District Attorney's Office and is a former Lackawaxen County deputy sheriff.

She said the support of the Fraternal Order of Police "speaks volumes" for her campaign.

"They could have stayed neutral," she said.

John Hancock Memorial Lodge 46 President Corporal James Seamon said Gaughan requested their endorsement and received more than two-thirds of the votes from the lodge's membership.

He declined to discuss the reasons for the lodge's support. The lodge represents state police in four counties: Lackawaxen, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne.

Gaughan is married to a retired state trooper, Marty Gaughan, who is also a Delaware Valley School District Police Department officer and a former narcotics detective in the DA's Office.

Tonkin, 46, has been district attorney for the past seven years and has been with the DA's Office since 1999.

"I don't recall there being a primary challenge for any district attorney in Pike County," he said.

Frein prosecution will continue

Meanwhile, Tonkin continues to prosecute the Frein case. It could be months until a trial begins though there will be pre-trial motions.

Gaughan said she doesn't believe her candidacy will affect the prosecution of Frein.

Michael Weinstein, a former Pike County District Attorney who is representing Frein, said, "I don't have any recollection of district attorney primaries at all, especially in big cases."

"We've never had a trial like this before," he said.

Weinstein called Gaughan a "very qualified attorney."

"It's America at its best," he said about about the primary.

Helping veterans
This will be Tonkin's third election campaign. He won his first election in 2007 when he was the sole candidate on the ballot, after Democratic opponent Vern Lazaroff was thrown off the ballot by Pike County Judge Joseph Kameen. Tonkin ran unopposed in 2011.

Tonkin said he appeared at a meeting of the John Hancock Memorial Lodge 46 earlier this month with Gaughan to give a presentation to the lodge's members.

Each candidate gave their presentation behind closed doors, he said. No questions were asked of him, Tonkin said.

Gaughan highlighted her support for a veterans' court when asked about her decision to run by phone on Tuesday.

"I believe our veterans deserve better in Pike County," Gaughan said.

Tonkin said he has applied to the state Commission on Crime and Delinquency for a grant to fund an additional staff member who could coordinate the referral of honorably discharged veterans with drug or alcohol dependence to the U.S. Veteran's administration. Tonkin said such veterans would likely be referred to the veteran hospitals in either Wilkes-Barre or Montrose, N.Y.

"That initiative would lay the foundation for a veterans' court if approved by the Pike County Court of Common Pleas," Tonkin said.

The fight against drugs
Gaughan said she also wants a child advocacy center and would support a drug court. She would establish a community outreach group.

Tonkin said he supports a drug court "for certain offenders," but, like a veterans' court, it would be the responsibility of the Court of Common Pleas to set one up. A drug treatment center would have to be funded, he said. In his election announcement, Tonkin stated that he has "worked closely with Safe Haven of Pike County to develop the Pike County Child Advocacy Center to improve child abuse investigative techniques and to provide more immediate and tailored avenues for child victims to heal." He also secured a $36,286 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to help build capacity to launch the center.

Gaughan believes a veterans' court and drug court could reduce recidivism, and reduce the costs of jailing non-violent offenders by finding treatement for such individuals.

She also suggested the use of a multi-county force and federal assistance to stop drug activity.

"I believe that my experience in the office will be the most important factor in this race," Tonkin said.

Reporter Nathan Mayberg can be reached at comm.reporter@strausnews.com or by calling 845-469-9000 ext. 359.